Inshore
Today marks the last of this year’s Coral Reef Fin Fish closures.
This five day closure will finish at midnight on Tuesday the 14th and this limits targeting, catching and keeping of our Coral Reef Fin Fish species.
If you are after more information please refer to the fisheries website, if you have any questions feel free to call or pop into Tackle World Bundaberg for clarification.
Fortunately during this closure we are permitted to target pelagic species like tuna, mackerel, queenfish and GT to name a few.
This time of year we usually see great numbers of these pelagic fish along our coastline due to the amount of bait fish that congregate in our inshore reefs.
This has sure been the case again this year with some ripper catches.
Targeting the pressure edges of our reefs has definitely been working well and areas with a lot of bait have been producing the better numbers of fish.
Good sized stripeys, moses perch and cod have been caught at the common wrecks and reefs on whole prawns and squid so once we get another opportunity to target these species definitely have a crack.
The odd coral trout have been chewing in areas around the bait however lures have been the standout technique to get these fish to bite.
These inshore trout can be hard to come by, fishing marks that get less fishing pressure will give you a much better chance at finding a few of these trout.
Offshore
This time of year we don’t get a heap of extended periods of great weather so the short and sometimes unexpected weather windows are when most of the offshore fishing gets done.
Having a lot of your gear organised and ready to go when the weather turns it on surely is a handy trick to get you on the water sooner!
When we have been able to head out wide we have seen plenty of cracking sized coral trout being caught at the Herolds, Warregos and in the Gutters.
Whole squid and pilchards rigged on gang hooks have been getting the bites as well as fresh livies if you can get a few on your trip out.
Great sized large mouth nannygai have also been caught off similar ground to these trout.
Utilising your side scan to find isolated patches of reef or rock situated away from other structures is always the go when chasing these fish as well as big red emperor.
Sending down big mullet fillets or fresh hussar fillets as well as whole squid or cuttlefish has been the best way to get the bite from these fish.
Sometimes these fish can be quite hard to get bites from, making the most out of the one hour either side of the tide can surely change your day and put some cracking fish in your esky.
Burnett River
The Burnett River sure is fishing well again this week, those who have found areas away from the weed that has been in the river have had the best results.
Great numbers of small grunter have been all throughout the river with some big fish over 60 cm being caught along the rock bars.
These fish have been feeding during the run out tide, targeting pressure edges created from these rock bars has worked well.
Whole sprat and prawns have been the go to bait and small soft plastics 3 to 4 inches in length have done the trick for the lure fishos.
Some very nice sized jack have continued to be caught around the rock walls this week, live baits and strips of mullet fillet have been the go to baits.
Hardbody lures like Samaki Redic’s slow wound along the rock walls and bridge pylons have also got a fair few to bite.
For those chasing the flatties there has been some great fish caught.
Prawn imitation soft plastics like the Shads Lures Tuff Prawn have been doing the damage on these fish.
The better numbers of flatties have been caught around the rock walls, targeting the base of the rock wall where the rock meets sand has seen best results.
Elliott River
The Elliott is definitely fishing well, great numbers of small flathead have been around and feeding hard.
The best time to be chasing these fish has been during the start of the run out tide, these flathead have been sitting on the drop offs surrounding shallow sand flats.
The fish sitting in these locations are usually ambushing baitfish as they come off the shallow flats with the tide and because of this these fish will usually bite.
Small soft plastics like the Daiwa Bait Junkie 3.2 inch Minnow in the bright pink colour has been getting the bites.
Again, the rock bars and deep holes with structure like fallen trees has been the hot spots for jack and cod that have been getting caught.
These fish have been feeding mainly with the run out tide and live baits have by far been the most effective way to target them.
If you do prefer to use lures, prawn imitation lures are the way to go.
The Pro Lure Clone Prawn is a great option along with a pre rigged Zerek Cherabin.
Some great sized black bream have also been up river along the mangroves, finding sections of the river with a good amount of bait getting around is where you are most likely to find these fish.
Small chunks of mullet fillet or prawns has worked really well when floated out unweighted or with a small ball sinker.
Baffle Creek
The Baffle sure is fishing well especially during the middle of the week with less boat traffic.
Finding areas of the river with little to no other boats around have sure helped most get onto some quality fish.
The snags at the mouth of the river have held a great variety of fish, flicking soft plastics around them has resulted in flathead, grunter, trevally, queenfish, jack and cod caught.
The run out tide has definitely been when most of the action has been happening so be sure to focus your efforts around the run out tide.
For those flicking the flats we have seen small surface lures worked along the shallow flats getting plenty of bites and this is a great way to avoid the weed that is currently in this river.
The rock bars up river either in the main section of river or up Oyster Creek has had some good jack and cod caught as well as some really big flathead.
Live baits and whole prawns have worked really well for these species and once again the run out tide has been the ideal time to fish for them.
Kolan River
This week we have seen the Kolan fish really well for jack and cod along the mangrove banks, deep holes and the rock bars.
Live baits or whole dead baits have been the go to for these species and the run out tide has surely been the time to target them.
Lure fishing with soft plastics has definitely been working well on these species, however getting your lure into the strike zone has been key.
Ensuring your lure is getting into the structure has made all the difference, rigging your soft plastic with a weedless hook setup is a good idea.
Prawn imitation lures thrown in the mangroves and fallen trees or soft vibes hopped along the rocks have been the standout lures catching these fish.
In the deep holes and drop offs throughout this system some really good sized grunter and flathead have been caught.
Soft vibes are perfect for this style of fishing as you can cover plenty of ground quickly and ensure your lure is staying in contact with the bottom.
Some great sized bream have been in good numbers at the mouth around the rocks at Miara and the fallen trees scattered along the banks.
Small chunks of mullet fillet or prawns have got the bites.
Lake Gregory
With the warm weather we’ve been experiencing the bass have been feeding super well on the edges of the dam.
Some anglers have been starting their session with surface lures early in the mornings, with frogs and walk the dog style hardbody lures and have been slaying the bass.
Make sure to be ready for a saratoga to climb over your line as well especially when using topwater lures!
Once the sun is higher slow rolling 3” paddle tail soft plastic’s such as Zman Minnowz surely has been getting plenty of the bites.
Also, using small shallow diving hardbody lures, spinnerbaits and small blades has been doing the trick on the bass during the middle of the day.
Lake Monduran
Lake Monduran has been proper firing over the past week with a heap of 1m+ barramundi being caught!
Plenty of these fish have been caught on hardbody lures such as Jackall Squirrels and Samaki Redics fished in heavy timber.
Paddle tail soft plastics such as Berkley Shimma Pro rigs and Zerek Live Mullets surely have been catching their fair share of barra as well.
Early mornings and late afternoons definitely seems like the best bite times at the moment.
Always remember to follow the wind, fishing wind blown points and bays will quickly put you in the positions to get you onto those trophy sized fish!
And remember to always fish with confidence, it only takes that one big bite to make your day.
From the team at Tackle World Bundaberg
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